Cardinals staff inadvertently reveal conflict over handling of Jordan Walker

Often deemed by St. Louis Cardinals critics to be the marionette handling the strings of manager Oli Marmol, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak indirectly put the kibosh on those accusations when he and Marmol appeared on separate segments of the Aug. 18 edition of "Sports on a Sunday Morning" with St. Louis radio host Tom Ackerman.

Ackerman asked Marmol and Mozeliak about how the Cardinals are utilizing Jordan Walker, the talented young outfielder who was recently promoted to the major leagues only to serve as a platoon bat against left-handed pitchers, and their answers provided disturbing credence to the possibility that the two members of the Cardinals brass aren't seeing eye to eye on the subject.

In the interview, Marmol said that the Cardinals' biggest need was in the outfield, especially in terms of production against lefties. Walker's presence in the lineup against only southpaws has drawn plenty of scorn given that Walker has better numbers against right-handers in his career, but Marmol said what actually needs to be looked at is that Walker hits left-handers better than their current outfield crop of Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan. However, a quick glance at splits shows that, at least in the major leagues, Nootbaar and Donovan hold higher OPSes against left-handers than Walker.

Just over an hour after Marmol's interview, Ackerman spoke to Mozeliak about the Walker situation. But while Marmol stressed the importance of matchups, Mozeliak said that young players need to play and that if the Cardinals don't find everyday at-bats for Walker, the team might need to rethink his promotion. This follows what Mozeliak said on July 31, where he stressed that if Walker gets promoted, he needs to play every day.

This eye-opening contrast in philosophies between the front office and the manager provides a bit of insight into the ways they operate. It's evident that Mozeliak has no role in how the daily lineup is constructed; if he did, Walker would be playing more often. Additionally, there is either a massive disconnect between the front office and the manager where Marmol doesn't realize that Mozeliak wants Walker to play more, or, more likely, Marmol recognizes that he is on the hot seat and wants to win with what he believes is the best possible lineup. Put simply, if he goes out, he wants to go out on his own terms.

The involuntary revelation of Mozeliak and Marmol's rift on this matter might have knocked aside some long-held beliefs regarding Marmol's status as a "yes man." Mozeliak seems to be looking at the future of Walker within the organization, whereas Marmol is prioritizing immediate success. These are the perspectives that people in Mozeliak's and Marmol's respective positions should hold, but the fact that the dispute is coming to a head over how to handle a potential franchise cornerstone is worrisome.